(Posting the omitted chapter from this story. I often will write whole scenes and then decide not to post it, as was the case with this chapter from Other Side of Heaven’s Door. After rereading I decided to finish the scene and post it into the story. Hope you enjoy it J

Dara struggled to open her eyes. She was tired, exhausted, but at the same time very content. And happy. So this is what it felt like, to wake up with the one you love beside you, holding you.

Jiyong.

She lay quietly, enjoying the feeling of his arms, legs and body that was wrapped around her. His head lay upon her chest, skin to skin. She could lay there forever.

She turned carefully, shifting so they lay side by side. Dara smiled at the frown that formed on his brow. He was still asleep, his face inches from hers, long lashes fanned against his cheeks, mouth slightly parted, a stubbly growth of hair on his chin and above his lip. Unable to resist she raised her hand and drew a finger lightly across his lip. When he didn’t budge, she drew a second line down his nose, suppressing a giggle when his brows twitched. His eyes opened, sleep laden, then more fully when he saw her staring at him. A smile crept across his face. Wordlessly he cuddled closer, burying his face in her neck, his hand smoothing over her back. His mouth curved into a small smile as his eyes slid open. They lay staring at each other, identical smiles on their lips as they marveled at this new experience. His hand slid warmly downwards, cupping her bottom.

Dara’s smile grew bigger, her eyes twinkling. She loved this new intimacy between them, the bareness of their skin-on-skin contact. Holding his gaze still she slipped her leg up and over Jiyong’s hip, pulling him close. Her eyes widened when she felt him hot and hard, and Jiyong laughed at her reaction.

“Gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose but smiling nonetheless.

“What’s gross?” he asked, his voice husky.

“You,” Dara whispered, her eyes closing as she leaned in and kissed him slowly. Her hand moved down to touch him.

He gasped, his breath coming out in a groan as her fingers delicately caressed him.

She pulled back and moved the sheets away so that she could look at her hand caressing him. His size and shape fascinated her. Her fingers explored him thoroughly and Jiyong groaned, ing lightly into her hand. She was driving him insane with need.

“Dara… please…”

Her eyes flew up to see the almost pained look on his face, and she marveled that she was the cause of it. Her hands came up to cup his face as she kissed him deeply. Jiyong moved so that he was on top of her, his body fitting comfortably in between her shapely legs. He grabbed one of her hands and moved it down between their bodies, and wrapped her fingers around him once again. “Guide me in,” he whispered, and then he closed his eyes in pleasure as he felt her use his own body to caress herself. She was hot and wet and Jiyong loved her so much. Dara put him at her entrance and when he pushed himself into her, she cried out in ecstasy, her legs spreading further to accommodate him, her hands wrapping around him.

They made love slowly, experimenting, learning each other’s sensitive spots. Dara knew no shyness around Jiyong. Her love for him and trust so great. She let him explore her body in any way he wanted: with his fingers, his hands, mouth, teeth, tongue… and of course that wonderful male part of him that filled her with such delirious joy.

“I love you,” Dara whispered, eyes half closed, body arched in pleasure as Jiyong in and out of her. Her words caused him to groan and harder.

“Mine!” he growled, bending down to bite gently at her skin. And Dara laughed happily. Afterwards when they were exhausted and lay tangled in each other’s arms, she sighed with contentment and burrowed further into him.

“Beloved…” Dara whispered.

His answer was to hold her tightly as he nuzzled her before gazing in her eyes, smiling tenderly, and whispered, “Beloved.”

**

The sound of soft laughter filled the room. It was almost daylight and Jiyong and Dara were cuddled up in bed, her back to his chest. She had his phone and they were playing a game. He laughed at how terrible she was at it. She laughed because she didn’t care if she was losing, as long as she was in Jiyong’s arms. When her last man had died she placed the phone down on the bedside table, closed her eyes, and pulled his arms around her tighter. They were quiet, both relishing the intimacy of this moment together.

“I’m so happy you’re home,” she confided. She had missed him so much and couldn’t believe he was finally back.

“I’m glad to be home, and grateful that you’re finally mine.”

“I’ve always been yours,” she said, lacing her fingers with his.

“I mean like this,” he said, nuzzling her neck and making her mew. “And like this,” he added, raising her hand with the engagement ring on it.

“I can’t wait to be married to you,” Dara told him. She turned so that she faced him, a happy smile spread across her face.

His gaze swept over her face, from her eyes to her lips.

She quirked a brow up at him. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just thinking. I can still picture you from that first day I met you at Joongie’s grave.”

Dara smiled, remembering that day so long ago. “It seems almost another lifetime, doesn’t it?”

He chuckled. “You were so young, so boyish.”

“Ah, so that’s why you liked me.”

“Why you…” He tickled her and she squealed with laughter. Minutes later he had captured her against him and they lay catching their breath.

“When do you want to get married?” he asked.

“Soon. I don’t want to wait long.” She turned so that she lay facing him. His hand covered hers on the pillow between them.

“I don’t want to wait long either. I want to be able to do this with you all the time, wake up like this with you, go to bed with you each night. Will you continue to work after the wedding?”

“Do you mind if I do?”

“You can do anything you want, baby. If you want to continue working I’ll support you in that. I know you’ve worked hard to get where you are now. I don’t want you to feel like you have to give all that up if we get married.”

Dara gazed into his eyes, loving how open they were with each other. “I really enjoy my work. I’ve been grateful I had it to fall back on to keep me busy while you were gone. But when my contract finishes I don’t think I want to renew it.”

“Are you sure?” He reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear.

She nodded as she moved her leg and draped it over his hip, drawing him intimately closer. “I may look into doing something else, something that won’t involve me traveling so much or take me away from home so much. I want to focus on you first as my priority… and our children.”

His heart raced at her words. He wanted kids too.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

She nodded, eyes sparkling.

“Several of the men in my unit were in love with you.”

Her eyes widened, laughter in her voice. “Really? Did you tell them who I was to you?”

He shook his head, grinning. “Of course not. I didn’t want any of them asking me to introduce them to you. Or worse, having them show up unannounced wanting to meet you.”

She giggled at this, a bubbly happy sound that he had missed. They lay staring at each other, feeling no need for words. Jiyong pushed the covers down so that it lay by their hips, leaving the top half of their bodies completely exposed. His eyes went down to her chest and his hand came up to touch her s. Dara sighed and leaned back, giving him full access. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feel of his hand exploring her body.

“You’re mine,” he whispered seriously, and she opened her eyes to gaze back tenderly at him. A smile touched her lips as she nodded her agreement.

“No man is to touch you,” he added.

At this she laughed. “Silly man. I would never let anyone but you touch me.”

He grinned with satisfaction, dark eyes sparkling. And then lowered his mouth to hers.

Dara marveled again how she felt no embarrassment with Jiyong, not even when his fingers touched her below with a lover’s intimacy. She groaned and opened herself up more to him, her gasps and moans of pleasure guiding him. Afterwards when they had made love again and were spent she fell panting against him, her body limp and satisfied.

“You’re mine,” she whispered, her eyes succumbing to sleep. Jiyong smiled and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he gathered her close and joined her in sleep.

**

Dara dropped down into the seat across from her friends Chaerin and Bom. They were meeting for lunch and to catch up since it’s been weeks since they’ve had time to get together. The two girls were surprised to see the frown on Dara’s face as she placed her order and then sat back.

“For someone whose love is back you don’t look too happy.”

Dara glanced up at Bom and sighed. “I am happy. I’d be happier though if said love had more time for me.”

The two girls opposite her quirked an eyebrow, curious at her words.

Dara groaned and leaned forward. She explained how she had taken the last two weeks off with the intention of spending time with Jiyong. But after the first two days of his homecoming he’d become practically tied up with so many things they’d not been able to spend hardly any time together.

“What’s he doing that’s keeping him so busy?”

“Registering for classes, catching up with work, interviews, business trips.”

“Business trips? Already?” Bom asked.

“Hmm. He left yesterday with his Dad to Hong Kong to some important meeting.”

“Well that .”

“I know,” Dara agreed.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“What can I do? It’s not like I can demand that he leave his responsibilities at work and school. He’s got two years of catching up to do with those areas as well.”

“But does it mean he can’t find time to spend with you as well?” Chaerin asked. She’d hate it if Ri neglected her like that.

“He’s not doing it on purpose,” Dara rationalized. “It’s just that he’s got so many things on his plate right now.”

“What about the wedding? Have you two set a date?”

“We haven’t had a chance to discuss it. Likely our moms will settle it.

**

Jiyong pulled out his phone and called Dara as soon as he left the airport and was headed back to his apartment. He’d been trying to call her for the past two days but his calls went to voice mail. He texted her as well but no response. He didn’t have a good feeling about this as he heard his call again was diverted to voice mail.

Jiyong asked his driver to go to Dara’s home instead. Instinct told him Dara wasn’t at his apartment. Once there he knocked on the door and asked to see Dara.

“Ms. Dara’s not home,” the housekeeper informed him. “She’s gone to Paris for work.”

“Paris?”

He sighed and thanked her before returning to the car. Inside he logged onto their twitter account to see if she had left him any message.

Nothing.

That was strange. She hadn’t mentioned anything about going away for work. Why did he get the feeling that Dara was upset with him?

Sighing he logged back onto their private account and left her a message.

‘I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I love you, Dara. Please know that. Call me?’

**

Dara saw his message as she was leaving work, a photo shoot for a top designer in Paris. She put away her phone without responding.

She knew she was being childish but it didn’t change the fact that she was hurt at his neglect. They’d been apart for two years, surely he could have put aside a little time for them to be together before other duties and responsibilities took over? She’d cleared her schedule for two weeks to have time with him. That alone had not been easy but it was a wasted effort since he’d had to get back to work and school. So now she was purposely loading up on her schedule to be away from home. Her work in Paris was to be done in one week. Then she was flying to London for a few days of relaxation with some friends there. She then had to fly to Japan for three days for work. The way she was feeling right now she was also considering just staying at her agency apartment in Japan for a few days after that.

**

Jiyong sat on the couch in his apartment and stared at his phone. There had been no call or text from Dara now for four days and it was driving him crazy. He’d left her several messages, had apologized for whatever it was he had done wrong. But still there was only silence.

He had searched her name online and saw a fansite dedicated to her. When he visited the site he had seen photos of her in Paris and saw updates that she was now in London. How was it that her fans knew more about her whereabouts then he did? Feeling frustrated he ran his hands through his hair before sitting back and closing his eyes.

All he could see was her those two days they had spent together in his apartment before he had had to go back to work. Suddenly it occurred to him why she might be upset. She’d given him everything that weekend, had even said she cleared her schedule to be with him. But he had gone back to work on that Monday, reporting in as his father had requested. From there he had been busy with getting up to speed with their financial reports and major projects. He had also gone in to register for night classes since the day would be dedicated to his work. He had stepped right back into his work and class schedule without much consideration of the effect that would have on time with her. No wonder she was upset.

He went back to the photos he’d seen of her stepping out with her friends in London. She looked beautiful and she was smiling for the cameras. He frowned to see that she was surrounded by so many men in all of the photos. He felt a pang of hurt too when he noticed that she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring.

Sighing he stood and walked over to the window, looking out at the city, his thoughts full of her. He startled to hear his phone. He picked it up and inhaled quickly when he saw her name on the caller ID.

“Dara?” He answered right away, anxious to hear her voice. He was met by silence.

“Dara?”

More silence.

Jiyong sighed, his eyes closing. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, baby.”

He heard a sniffle, but still she didn’t say anything.

“I miss you,” he told her, sitting down on the couch. When she still didn’t answer he continued. “Dara, talk to me. I can’t take this.”

More silence, and he was beginning to get frustrated. “Kwon, Sandara!”

“That’s not my name,” she spouted angrily.

He sighed, grateful she finally spoke. “It will be when I’m done with you,” he growled.

“Ha. Maybe I won’t let you. Maybe I won’t change my name,” she retorted.

“Then I’ll change my name to yours. Park, Jiyong,” he stated, and he heard her scoff.

“Your parents would disown you. You couldn’t even say no to your father to take time off to be with me. How would I believe you would change your name to mine? Such a liar,” she mumbled.

He paused. When he spoke his voice was quiet. “Is that why you’re upset, Jagiya?”

“You left me,” she confirmed, and he could hear the hurt in her voice. “I wanted to spend time with you, Ji. But you chose to go to work instead of asking your father for a little time off to be with me.”

He sighed, realizing what he’d done. His voice was low, gentle. “Baby, I’m sorry. I was just trying to get things squared away so that we can move on with our lives. I want us to have our wedding soon and I don’t want work to interfere. I thought I’d get back to work as soon as possible, get caught up to speed and re-familiarize myself with everything. Then I could take time off for our wedding and honeymoon.”

He heard her sigh. “Its fine, Ji. I understand, I do. I was just upset but I know you’re just trying to get back into the flow of life. It’s okay.”

“So we’re good now?” he asked, and she responded with a reluctant yes.

“Then when will I see you?” he asked.

“I still have work…”

“Dara,” he groaned, falling back against the couch in frustration. Eyes closed, brows furrowed. God he missed her.

She was being silent again. Jiyong sighed heavily. He sat up and held the phone close. “Dara, baby, I’m sorry for what I did,” he began, his voice husky. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you needed time – we needed time together. Now please, please baby girl, stop being upset with me and come home. I love you. I want you. I need you, Dara.”

There was a pause and then Jiyong heard her sigh softly. “Next weekend.”

His brows furrowed. “That long? I’ll die by then.”

She giggled. The sound of it made him smile as well despite his longing to be with her.

“I’ll be in Japan this weekend and all of next week. Why don’t you join me?”

Jiyong grinned. “I’ll be there baby.”

**

“Six months? Can’t it be sooner?” Jiyong asked his mother. Mrs. Kwon had met with Dara’s mom and they had set the wedding date for six months down the road. Jiyong ran his hands through his hair before turning back to his mother.

“Mom, please! Speak with Dara’s mother and reconsider pushing our wedding up. We hardly get to see each other as it is now. At least if we’re married we can spend our evenings and nights together.”

“Are you not already spending your nights together?” she asked, her brow raised in question.

“As my wife,” Jiyong clarified. “I want her beside me as my wife. Please omma, do this for me? You know how much I love her.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll meet with Dara’s mom and look at the dates again.” Secretly she was pleased. Maybe they could expect a grandchild soon?

Jiyong smiled and leaned in to give his mother a grateful hug.

**

Dara opened her eyes sleepily as she felt the bed dip beside her and a pair of familiar arms encircle around her waist. “Ji?”

“Mmm.”

She relaxed as his lips pressed against her bare shoulder. She’d gotten in earlier and had showered and gone straight to bed, exhausted from the long flight. This last job had been in New York and had lasted four days. It had been exciting to meet up with some of her old classmates as well, but long flights were not her thing anymore. She had been restless and she had missed Jiyong. He had been on another business trip before she left, down in Busan where they were opening another branch. It had been a week since they had seen each other. And when she had gotten home he was still at work. Dara shifted so that she faced Jiyong. She wrapped herself around him and leaned in for his kiss.

“Welcome home,” he whispered, his fingers caressing her cheek. She smiled lazily, her eyes closed as she cuddled close and buried her face against his neck, breathing in his clean scent.

“I miss you.”

Jiyong smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. God, how he loved her. “How was New York?” he asked.

Dara stirred, waking a little more. She began telling him of her visit. He could tell from her tone that she had enjoyed her time there. “Maybe you and I can go there together some time?” she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

“I’d like that.”

Dara grinned and hugged him again. She wanted to show him where she grew up and introduce her to some of her friends from when she lived there before.

He told her of his meetings down in Busan. They lay quietly talking for nearly half an hour before Jiyong’s wandering hands pushed Dara to the point that she couldn’t concentrate on his words anymore. She pushed him back and straddled him. In one swift move she removed her tank top. Her bra quickly followed. Jiyong’s breath caught as he gazed up at her. His hands reached up to squeeze her bare s as Dara arched her back and ground her hips into his. Words ceased as the two quickly lost themselves in each other.

**

It was nearly 3am and the two found themselves in the kitchen cooking, both starved from  having missed dinner and from their bedroom activities. Dara was wearing Jiyong’s shirt and he was in his boxers and a white tshirt. After making their food and eating they sat on the couch in the living room. Dara had a bridal magazine with her and they were looking over the dresses in them. The wedding was three weeks away and Dara’s dress was already picked out but they were looking through the photos for fun.

“We should probably go to sleep,” Dara said, closing the magazine. Jiyong had to work in the morning.

“I’m not going in,” Jiyong said. He had a lot of comp time and he had already told his father and his secretary he wouldn’t be in. “I’m going to spend the day with you. You don’t have work, right?”

Dara’s face lit up as she shook her head. “Really? You’re going to spend the day with me?” She squealed with laughter and kissed him and then hugged him tight. Jiyong laughed and hugged her back.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

Dara climbed into his lap, leaned her head on his shoulder while he held her safe. “I want to sleep in. And then let’s go for a drive. Oh! I know, let’s go visit Joongie oppa! I haven’t had a chance to visit him in a while and then I can visit Grandma Dara too. Oh, I wonder if Papa wants to go?”

Jiyong chuckled and leaned in to give her a warm kiss on her cheek. “Let’s call him in the morning and see if he wants to go with us.”

Dara nodded happily and snuggled close. She loved that Jiyong got along well with her family, and that he loved her grandfather as much as she loved him.

In the morning though when they called Dara found out from her mother that her Papa had been sick lately. She hung up the phone, a worried frown on her face, and Jiyong asked her what was wrong.

“Papa’s sick,” she murmured. Jiyong gathered her close and whispered sweet words in her ear to comfort her. He knew how close she was to her grandfather.

“Why don’t we go spend the day with him instead?” he asked.

Dara drew back and looked at him with new tears in her eyes as she nodded. Wordlessly he pulled her close again and held her. Dara’s love for him grew more for his sensitivity to her and her every need and want.

An hour later the two were at her grandfather’s house. They had greeted Dara’s parents and then made their way to her grandfather’s room where he was confined to his bed.

“Papa!” Dara bounded to the bed and reached over to hug him tight.

“Ah, my baby,” her grandfather chuckled. He looked tired and he was thinner. Dara sat on the edge of the bed, her hand in his. Jiyong came up and stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder as he greeted Sanchol.

“Papa, why are you sick?” Dara pouted. It reminded Sanchol of when she was younger and he smiled at her fondly as he squeezed her hand.

“I feel much better now that you two are here.”

“We wanted to take you to visit Grandma and Joongie today,” Dara explained.

There was a tightening in her chest. Seeing her grandfather lying in bed like this made her realize that he was getting older and would not always be around. A sniffle escaped her and she looked as if she were going to cry.

“Sweetheart.” Sanchol reached up his arms and Dara crawled onto the bed next to him, her head next to his on the pillow. The sudden tears she’d been trying to hold back slowly leaked out from her eyes. Sanchol hugged her arm that she had draped across his chest. “Don’t cry my dear,” he chuckled. He pat her hand in a comforting manner.

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Jiyong said, smiling. But Sanchol stopped him.

“Stay son. I want both of you here.”

Jiyong nodded, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

They spent an enjoyable morning with Dara’s grandfather. At times he dozed off and Dara and Jiyong would talk quietly, playing games on Jiyong’s phone and enjoying being with her grandfather. After lunch they prepared to leave so that Sanchol could rest properly. Before they left Sanchol took hold of Dara’s hand and pat it gently as he smiled at her.

“I saw your grandmother,” he said, and Dara raised her brows at that.

“She was beautiful as ever and she was standing here looking at me with that teasing look in her eyes,” Sanchol said.

“Grandma came here?” Dara asked, and her grandfather nodded. He’d been seeing his beloved a lot lately. He had a feeling she was waiting to take him home, but he didn’t say this to Dara.

“Papa…” Dara turned to her grandfather, a worried frown once again marring her beautiful face. “You’re not going to leave me, are you?”  

Sanchol laughed softly and pat her arm. “Remember what I told you long ago, sweetheart? Death isn’t something you should be afraid of. Each of us will go through that door sooner or later. We have to in order to reach the next life where our loved ones await us.”

Dara was quiet, her cheeks wet. “Do you really believe that, Papa?” she asked in a small voice.

“With all my heart, darling.”

Dara stared at him for several seconds, smiling while tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Hey, it’s not as if I’m gone yet,” her grandfather teased gently. And then he grew serious. He knew that when the time did come that he would depart from this world his little Dara would take it very hard. And so he wanted to prepare her and let her know how he felt. His voice was raspy as he talked and he took slow deep breaths

“When your grandmother died, I felt like a part of me died with her. I didn’t know how I was going to go on. This house felt so big and empty. You were only five, remember?”

Dara nodded. Back then she didn’t quite understand what it meant that her grandmother had died. Her father had told her that her grandmother had gone to heaven. ‘But what about Papa? Who will look after Papa,’ young Dara had asked her father.

“You called to ask when I was coming to pick you up,” Sanchol said, and Dara vaguely remembered.

“You were my angel, bringing so much joy back into my life,” Sanchol continued, a peaceful look upon his face.

Dara smiled as she listened to her grandfather talk about that time. “I loved every moment that I spent with you, Papa.”

He chuckled. “We had good times, my darling. Thank you.” He paused, his smile widening as he looked over at the silent man sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand on Dara’s leg. “I like to think that fate has rewarded you by bringing you your soul-mate.”

Dara glanced over at Jiyong, and her smile grew wider as well. “I think so too, Papa.”

Jiyong looked at her lovingly.

“Take care of each other,” Sanchol told them, and he looked at Dara. “Remember what I told you that respect and trust is the two great pillars of love. If you respect each other you’ll never do anything to break each other’s trust. And if you trust each other, no outside source can destroy your love.”

“I’ll remember that, Papa,” Dara said.

“And I will too,” Jiyong promised. “I’ll cherish and love your granddaughter all the days of my life,” he vowed.

“I know you will, son,” Sanchol told him kindly. “You’ve loved her from the very beginning. I could see it in your eyes and your actions way before my granddaughter could.”

“You could?” Dara asked, her interest peaked as she leaned up to gaze at her grandfather. “How did you know?”

“Dara…” Jiyong called, embarrassed. But Dara was grinning at her grandfather, wanting to hear how he knew.

Sanchol chuckled. “Why do you think he hung around you all that time during those early years? And why he came to check on me even when you had returned to the U.S.? He did it because he was in love with you.”

Dara looked over at Jiyong, her eyes wide, and Jiyong laughed softly before he nodded. “It’s true. I loved you from the very beginning.”

**

Dara awoke on the morning of her wedding to the soft morning light filtering in through the curtains in her room. She had moved back home for the past two weeks in preparation for the wedding and also to be nearer her grandfather. His health was deteriorating fast. Jiyong and Dara had changed their plans so that the wedding would now be held at the Parks home. They were having a private ceremony in the house with just their parents and close friends and her grandfather. Later that afternoon there would be a reception held in the garden. They planned to hold a formal reception a few days later but today’s one was just for their immediate family and close friends.

Dara’s laughter could be heard in the house after the ceremony was over. She was talking with Bom and CL. Nearby Jiyong was sitting next to Sanchol who was in a wheelchair. The old man reached over and covered Jiyong’s hand with his own, causing Jiyong to turn and look at him.

“Take care of her,” Sanchol whispered, a smile on his face. Jiyong smiled and placed his other hand over Sanchol’s.

“I promise,” Jiyong answered.

Park Sanchol passed away quietly in his sleep that night. Jiyong woke when he heard his phone ringing in the wee hours of the night. He answered it seeing his father in law’s name on the ID. When he hung up he turned to find Dara crying quietly. She knew without his saying that her grandfather had crossed over to the other side. Jiyong gathered Dara close and held her while she wept.

Epilogue:

Sanchol stood next to his beloved wife as she brushed the hair back of the beautiful little girl before her. “Have a blessed life, little one,” she whispered.

The little girl hugged her great grandmother before turning to her great grandfather. “Bye Papa,” she said.

Sanchol bent down and picked up the little girl, hugging her tight. “You be good to your omma and appa, little one. Remember we’ll be watching over all of you always.”

He set her down and watched as she turned and held her arms out to the tall good looking young man that  stood nearby.

“Bye Uncle Joongie!” The girl squealed as the young man lifted her high up in the air and spun her around before setting her down and kissed both her cheeks. “Be good, squirt. Bring joy to your omma and appa, okay?”

The girl nodded and then turned last of all to the sullen little boy that was holding her great grandmother Dara’s other hand. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to me, Jaejoongie?” she asked.

“How come you get to go first without me?” the little boy asked.

His uncle squatted down by the upset little boy. “Your time will come, Jaejoongie. Besides, don’t you know it’s more cool to be the younger sibling?”

“It is?” he asked, and his uncle smiled and nodded.

“Well, okay then I guess,” he reluctantly agreed. He looked over at his sister and gave her a hug. “I’ll miss you,” he said.

She hugged him back before pulling back. “Don’t worry Joongie, time passes very quickly up here. Before you know it it’ll be your turn.”

She turned as an angel appeared to her. She turned to wave happily once more at her great grandparents, her uncle, and little brother.

Meanwhile on the other side of heaven’s door, Mr. and Mrs. Kwon Jiyong were in the last seconds of labor. Dara screamed as she clamped down and pushed. An anxious Jiyong was by her side, urging her on while at the same time worried sick for his beloved wife and their unborn baby. He wiped at her forehead, tears in his eyes as he saw the pain she was going through.

Outside their family and friends waited anxiously for news of the birth. Mr. Park and Mr. Kwon sat drinking coffee, both thinking back to when they had been in Jiyong’s shoes, and glad that they were now merely in the role of future grandfathers. A few feet away Mrs. Park and Mrs. Kwon held hands, as they heard Dara scream and knew from experience the time was near.

Further away Youngbae sat with his girlfriend of a year. He’d actually met her at Jiyong’s welcome home party. Seungri was with Chaerin. Minzy was there as well, and Top and Bom. The latter two were slowly becoming friends again. After the welcome home party for Jiyong Top had begun to make a change in his life. He took to heart Jiyong’s words that night, that if you find something worthwhile in your life that you go after it. For him he knew now that Bom was that worthwhile gem in his life, and he wanted her back. But Bom had grown up a lot in the years. She was mature enough to know that in her heart of hearts she still loved Top, but she held to her promise that she would not sell herself short. She wanted a man who would love her and only her. She and Top were taking things slow, taking things one step at a time, beginning with just being friends. For her that was enough right now, and for him, it was the second beginning that he was grateful to have.

Back in the delivery room Jiyong was encouraging Dara as she gritted her teeth and pushed through another painful contraction.

“Push Dara, you can do it,” the doctor urged, as Dara let out another scream, louder than the first one.

A few seconds later the sound of a baby’s cry filled the room. Both parents looked toward the foot of the bed where the doctor was lifting up their newborn child, the umbilical cord still attached as the baby let out a loud healthy wail.

“Congratulations,” the doctor beamed. “You have a beautiful little girl.”

Jiyong laughed, overwhelmed with joy. He gazed back lovingly at his exhausted wife and saw the small smile of happiness on her face, the pain of just seconds ago gone from her beautiful face as she sank back against the pillows. Jiyong leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “Jagiya, you did it! We have a little girl.”

Warm brown eyes looked up at him. Dara squeezed his hand in acknowledgement. She was so happy. Her only sorrow was that her dear Papa had not lived to see his first great grandchild. But somehow she felt that somewhere on the other side of heaven’s door perhaps her grandfather, and her grandmother, knew and maybe even already met her little girl.

‘Haneul’

“I want to name her Haneul,” she whispered tiredly.

Beside her Jiyong smiled. ‘Haneul’ /heaven or sky.

“I love it,” he whispered back, just as the nurse brought their newborn child and placed her on Dara.

Dara opened her eyes and gazed with love down at her and Jiyong’s beautiul little girl. “Hello, darling,” she said, marveling at the beauty and miracle of life. “Welcome to our family.”

The End.